DALLAS (Ticker) -- Even the emotion surrounding coach Don
Nelson's return could not inspire the Dallas Mavericks to
overcome their penchant for failure against the Los Angeles
Lakers.

On the bench for the first time since December 30 after
undergoing prostate cancer treatment, Nelson watched the
Mavericks absorb their 21st loss in 22 meetings with the Lakers,
a 119-109 setback.

Reunion Arena was at a fever pitch as Nelson's return to the
sidelines prompted an opening 16-6 burst for the Mavericks,
fueled by a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws from Steve
Nash.

"They got off to a hot start in this ballgame and that really
put us on our heels," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Maybe it
worked to our advantage that Steve Nash had so many points in
the first half. It looked like he ran out of gas a little bit."

Dallas was unable to sustain the emotion-fueled pace and the
Lakers used a rare balanced attack to improve to 3-0 against the
Mavericks this season. Dallas snapped an 18-game losing streak
against the Lakers here on April 18 of last season.

"I thought we played pretty darn hard," Nelson said. "We had a
lot of energy. We had to make a lot of shots from the outside, I
didn't think we shot the ball like we are capable of. They
(Lakers) also were really good."

Shaquille O'Neal, who took exception to Nelson's Hack-a-Shaq
strategy in earlier encounters with Dallas, calling it "clown
basketball" playfully donned a clown nose with Nelson prior to
the game.

Nash finished with a season-high 31 points for Dallas, which
went 13-8 under the guise of Nelson's son, Donn.

O'Neal, Fox and Horace Grant combined to grab 34 rebounds as Los
Angeles held a commanding 55-32 advantage on the boards. The
Lakers shot 46 percent (38-of-82) and outscored the Mavs by a
whopping 37-15 at the line.

O'Neal made sure Nelson did not resort to fouling the 7-1
pivotman in the waning moments by driling 11-of-15 free throws.

"That's been my mantra during the year, is that when Shaq starts
making his free throws, we're a different ballclub," Jackson
said. "And tonight he made them under the duress of the foul."

"When Shaq makes his free throws like that, then the Hack-a-Shaq
goes right out the window," Nelson said. "We were only able to
use that tactic for a real short period of time in the second
quarter. Then we basically had to stay away from it and only
foul him when he was in a dunk situation. But, to his credit,
he's a competitive guy and he stepped up and made them and took
us right out of that tactic."

"Of course, it's a tough loss," Nowitzki said. "We were right
there. They just had a better day. We started off hot but you
always know they are going to come back. They are the world
champs and they had a good game."

After Dallas' hot start, Los Angeles raced back into contention.
Rider hit a 23-footer and O'Neal slammed to spark a 19-8 burst
that Fox capped with a 3-pointer, giving Los Angeles a 25-24
lead with 25 seconds left in the opening period.

Finley responded with a slam as Dallas took a one-point lead
into the second quarter.

Leading 59-55 at halftime, thanks to 13 points from O'Neal and
12 and 11, respectively, from Rider and Fox, the Lakers took
control early in the third quarter.

Rider opened the second-half scoring before Bryant hit two free
throws and a jumper, stretching the advantage to 65-55 with
10:28 remaining in the third period.

The advantage swelled to 87-69 when rookie Mark Madsen hit two
free throws with 2:17 left in the third quarter before Dallas
mounted what proved to be a futile comeback.

Finley's 3-pointer capped an 11-2 run to close the period,
pulling Dallas within 89-78 and the Mavs got it down to four
when Finley again connected from long range with 2:36 to play.

The Lakers were forced to call timeout seconds later after
Bryant twisted his ankle by stepping on O'Neal's foot during the
sequence. Bryant got to his feet, went to the huddle and
decided to make a go of it despite hobbling noticeably.

On Los Angeles' next trip, he executed a perfect give-and-go
with O'Neal in the post, driving into the lane for an acrobatic
jumper that gave the Lakers a 109-103 lead with 2:16 left.

O'Neal's layup and two free throws by Fox opened things up for
good, giving Los Angeles a 113-103 cushion with 1:35 remaining.
Bryant and O'Neal both left the floor thereafter.

"I told these guys when I come back in the second half, I'm
going to come back with a vengeance," O'Neal said. "I'm not
playing, I'm serious. I'm trying to turn my game up."